Savor

So far, with my own 'Less is More' diet I've lost about 5 pounds since Christmas. Mindful eating was one of the precepts.  This is one of those simple concepts that takes a lifetime to master, and I could use some inspiration right about now.

When I was coming up with the guidelines for myself, I learned that eating too fast and eating until you are full both triple your chance of gaining weight. Together they are a deadly combination. Mindfulness seems to be one way to control those poor habits.

Savor is now on my list of books to buy, even though it isn't released until next week.

Funny how life works, whether it is by coincidence or serendipity, but these past few days I've been preoccupied by the topic of mindfulness as it relates to food.  Yesterday I stumbled on the 'How to Cook Your Life' documentary, and now 'Savor.'

I'm excited because Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the authors, and his teachings are so accessible.  His co-author, Dr. Lilian Chung, is the Director of Nutrition and Fitness at Harvard School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication.

I guess when it comes down to it, losing weight isn't really a lofty goal for developing mindfulness.  But the side effects to this approach to weight loss can be pretty fantastic.

Hey, if this doesn't work there is always liposuction.

Common sense tells us that to lose weight, we must eat less and exercise more. But somehow we get stalled. We start on a weight-loss program with good intentions but cannot stay on track. Neither the countless fad diets, nor the annual spending of $50 billion on weight loss helps us feel better or lose weight.

Too many of us are in a cycle of shame and guilt. We spend countless hours worrying about what we ate or if we exercised enough, blaming ourselves for actions that we can't undo. We are stuck in the past and unable to live in the present—that moment in which we do have the power to make changes in our lives.